An estimated 6 in 10 adults in the U.S. have a chronic disease, while 4 in 10 adults have two or more chronic diseases. As a physician, you probably understand that these patients require more attention than most others.

And if your practice wants to help these patients, it's time to introduce chronic care management.

What is chronic care management, and why should your practice offer it? Here's what physicians should know.

What is Chronic Care Management?

Chronic care management is the coordination of services outside of regular doctor's office visits. It is intended for patients with two or more chronic health conditions. These conditions are expected to last at least twelve months or until the patient's death.

They also include three features:

• They increase the risk of serious health decline or death
• They increase the likelihood of multiple hospital visits
• They require significant medical follow-up

Common conditions that qualify under this category include, but are not limited to:

• Alzheimer's disease or related dementia
• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Atrial fibrillation
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Depression
• Diabetes
• HIV/AIDS or similar infectious diseases
• Hypertension

These diseases are the leading drivers of healthcare costs and negative patient health outcomes. As such, the goal of chronic care management is to keep these conditions well-managed over time.

In fact, one study has shown to decrease patient hospitalizations by 6% while seeing an 18.9% percent increase among the comparison group.

The Benefits of the Chronic Care Model for Your Practice

Chronic care management offers your practice a new frontier of patient care, whether you're meeting patients in person or working with a medical scribe to conduct visits via Zoom. And if your practice works with chronically ill patients, it's time to give those patients the level of care they need.

Here's a look at how chronic care management can be just as positive for your practice as it is for your patients.

Care Coordination for Better Management of Chronic Illness

Unfortunately, many chronically ill patients face the same challenge: lack of coordination among their healthcare providers, which often forces the patient themselves to try to coordinate care. The problem is that each provider offers different expertise to address the patient's unique health issues, and if providers aren't working together, no one sees the full picture.

Chronic care management allows physicians to work as a coordinated team on behalf of every patient. From the beginning, the care group is already coordinated to communicate health information among themselves, including clearing HIPAA privacy rules. That way, providers have a complete picture of the patient's health at all times.

Improved Chronic Condition Outcomes

The result, of course, is improved chronic condition outcomes.

When physicians share information among themselves and work as a coordinated team, they're better able to improve the patient's quality of life over time. Patients feel they have individual promoters for their care, but also a coordinated team focused entirely on their health and wellbeing. That translates into better patient satisfaction and improved patient outcomes over time.

Your Partner in Chronic Care Management

If you have patients who need chronic care, it's time to introduce chronic care management to your practice. Our job is to make that possible with physician services that empower physicians to provide high-quality chronic care in person and virtually. That way, you can focus on the best outcome for your patient.

If you're ready to introduce chronic care management to your practice, get in touch today to learn more about how we can help.